NR will sign contracts with Invensys Rail, Signalling Solutions (Alstom and Balfour Beatty), and Atkins which will cover the majority of signalling renewals across England, Scotland and Wales for the two remaining years of the current funding period, and the whole of the next period which runs from 2014 to 2019. The contracts will commence on April 2.
NR says the new agreements are the backbone of its programme to modernise and maintain Britain's signalling systems and are designed to deliver efficiency savings through reductions in unit costs. It also reflects reforms in NR's infrastructure business which is emphasising a focus on partnerships with suppliers and reforms to the way the track authority delivers capital projects.
"These new frameworks represent a seven-year commitment by suppliers, allowing us to work closely with them to develop long-term plans for work to be carried out more quickly and efficiently," says Mr Simon Kirby, NR managing director. "The length of the agreements, coupled with visible workload, will provide much-needed stability throughout the supply chain and drive further cost savings and innovation across our signalling renewals and enhancement activities."
